Aug. 14, 2010 - Nottoway Plantation and New Orleans

How cool it was, waking up in this room! I still can’t believe we actually got to stay on this beautiful Plantation. Our tour started at 9am, in the main foyer right outside of our room!! I must admit that I wandered about a bit before going to bed and saw almost everything that was on the tour-ha ha ha. But, the tour was great because we learned so much about the family who built this home, and the history after it was sold. This is the largest plantation left in the south, and it sits right at the levy for the Mississippi River. It was completed 3 years before the Civil War, and three of the Randolph’s children fought in that war. Union ships at one point were docked right in front of the home. Because of a friendship between one of the Randolph boys (a Confederate soldier) and one of the Union soldiers, the home was not destroyed. The soldiers ate the produce that was available on the grounds (7000 acres of land) and most of their livestock. Algernon Randolph, the eldest of the children, died in the battle of Vicksburg.

We left Nottoway and headed out for New Orleans. We planned the timing pretty good to get us there for lunch, but our engine light came on. I called as we were driving to find a mechanic somewhere between where we were and where we were going who could both work on diesel engines, and take us as a drop in! We found a place about 4 miles from New Orleans. Our plan was to unhook the car, leave the RV with them, and go into the French Quarter. Oops!....did we really just lock the RV keys in the RV??? The mechanic gave us a very long screwdriver, and Rich jimmied the window. Bryan boosted Lindsey into the window, and we were quickly back out on the road.

NOLA was hot, hot, hot! It had just stopped raining, and the temperature was in the high 90s, so the humidity was extremely high. We arrived just in time for lunch at The Market Café. We all had red beans and rice, or Jambalaya except for Bryan. He opted for a roast beef Po-Boy. It was really fun because there was a jazz trio playing right near our table, and our table was outside with a great view of some really ornate balconies! We checked out the French Market, did some walking down Bourbon St., took pictures in Jackson Square and strolled along the river walkway. We ended our visit at Café Du Monde !! Beignets with more powdered sugar than anyone could ever want! Then it was back to the mechanics to pick up the RV and head to the New Orleans KOA.